Feud over Supreme Court pick puts Senate leaders on defensive over old remarks

Both Republicans and Democrats on Sunday defended their previous comments about whether the Senate should consider Supreme Court vacancies in an election year.

In an increasingly partisan spat over President Barack Obama’s announcement last week to fill a Supreme Court vacancy with Merrick Garland, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pointed to statements from Democrats, speaking when there was a Republican in the White House, that a high court vacancy should not be filled ahead of an election. Democrats called out Republicans for flip-flopping on the issue as well.

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“Nobody's been entirely consistent,” McConnell (R-Ky.) said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Though some members of his party said they’ll meet with Garland, McConnell shut the door on any consideration of a new Supreme Court justice.

“This nomination ought to be considered by the next president,” McConnell said on "Fox News Sunday," adding that the nominee will not be considered by the Senate before then. Garland was nominated to replace Antonin Scalia, who died last month.

On CNN's "State of the Union," McConnell said his Senate would not consider confirming Garland after the November elections, even if Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton were to win: "I can't imagine that a Republican majority Congress in a lame-duck session, after the American people have spoken, would want to confirm a nominee opposed by the NRA, the NFIB, and The New York Times says would move the court dramatically to the left."

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev) defended his 2005 statement that the Senate does not have a constitutional duty to give presidential nominees a vote. Reid said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the Senate has at least held hearings and votes on Republican Supreme Court nominees.

“I don't know why McConnell has done this to his senators,” the Senate minority leader said. “He's marching these men, women over a cliff.”